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Walking the Camino

abril - mayo 2024
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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    24111
    Día 7–8

    Day 7 - Propieres to Le Cergne

    28 de abril, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Had a fab meal in Propieres - Simon went all out with an entrecôte steak!
    Simon sets a vignette….
    Having hobbled out of the restaurant for a post dinner cigarette I was already bracing myself to get through the noisy, busy bar. Which I did with just a few call-outs. Coming back through the bar, I was collared by a loud mouthed French dude, who proceeded to barrack me in front of his little gang as to Where are you from? Are you English? Then speak French, speak French…
    Unfortunately my head went to —-!
    After my 19 km walk, big steak and beer 😳 we proceeded into an awkward stand off where we all stood in silence. I nearly said ‘Bonjour’ - the only French word that came into my head - thank goodness I didn’t 😂
    The cocky French dude - let’s call him Luc - started barracking again and in my fatigued state I muttered ‘le fatigue’ and ‘Bon nuit’. Then I turned to make my escape to find myself trapped behind a large party of new customers making their way into the restaurant 🙄 and all I could hear bouncing off my back was ‘bye, bye English, bye, bye English’ and still I couldn’t think of one clever French phrase to say - not even ‘comment sa va?’ Having made it safely back to the table I must of looked harried as Mary looked up and said ‘you’ve been a twerp haven’t you?’ I sat down and said ‘Yes, I’m afraid so!’
    So onwards to today. The ponchos were out and on as it promised to be a wet day ahead! Wasn’t too bad actually main rain came half an hour before arriving at our destination. More mountains, pine forests and lovely views.
    A German mother and daughter also doing our route so we overtake them on a daily basis as they set off an hour before us. We are staying in same accommodation as them tonight again so may learn more about them over supper. 18+km completed today.
    P.s. Simon says his feet and legs are losing that ‘eczema’ look - which is nice 😊    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    1
    Día 8–9

    Day 8 - Le Cergne to Charlieu

    29 de abril, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Had a lovely stay in Le Cergne - well looked after by Phillipe and Martine. They had baked an amazing array of products and spoke good English so communication was much better. The other guests were our German friends mother and daughter Monicka and Francesca from Heidleburg. So we had odd 3 way chats in French, German and English 😂
    Today was very soggy as it rained most of the walk, we were coping til near the end when the path became a mire and muddy stream, testing our footwear to the limit - soggy sock city!!
    We entered Charlieu hungry and close to the edge. It is a beautiful medieval town but sadly on a Monday all is closed 😢
    We dropped our bags in our beautiful apartment and went in search of a supermarket. To our joy we found a bar open 🙌
    We started with coffee, then enquired about food only saucisson offered. We ordered 2 , the bar man looked doubtful trudged off and brought 2 large big chorizo type sausages hanging from a string- we all laughed and agreed 1 was sufficient. So we tucked into this with bread and gherkins and couldn’t resist a couple of cold beers - what an odd lunch!!
    Hit the supermarket for some evening food then headed back to flump out in our apartment for the evening. 19 km accomplished on a wet Monday.    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    11132
    Día 9–10

    Day 9 - Charlieu to La Fromagerie

    30 de abril, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After a chatty breakfast with Delphine our host in Charlieu we headed into town for some bits and bobs as today is a shorter walk 🙌 and we are under strict instructions not to arrive at our destination until after 3!!
    The sun is out and it’s very warm ☀️
    Our track was flat and bordered by fields and farms. We crossed canals and the river Loire. Stopped for a coffee at a marina type place, very civilised 😊. To ask for the bill you say ‘ l’addition s’il vous plait’
    Simon went off to pay and said ‘is it le subtraction s’il vous plait?’ 😆
    Thank goodness he checked…
    We stopped in Le Benisson Dieu for lunch, this literally translates as ‘God’s Blessings’ and has a beautiful abbey at the centre. As we had time we stopped for lunch having enquired did they do omelette? However once we sat down the only option given us was steak!! - God’s Blessings perhaps?!!
    Then onto our destination for the evening - The Fromagerie- literally the cheese house. Fortunately non been made here for the past 10 years. It’s very rustic with an eco toilet 😳.
    We are waiting for Stephanie to bring our supper of quiche, she comes on a cart at 5! We hope 😉    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    141212122
    Día 10–12

    Day 10 - La Fromagerie to Saint Haon le

    1 de mayo, Francia ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    We woke up to a foggy start at La Fromagerie, Simon spotted a deer groaning in the mist while having his morning coffee. Breakfast from Stephanie on the cart was a big improvement on supper 🙌
    We set off on today’s trek - just under 20 km! Today is a bank holiday in France so once again all is closed. Simon says France is shut, it’s like a permanent seventies Sunday.
    The forecast had been for rain but God’s blessings were still with us and it remained dry 😊.
    The way was fairly level with very few ups and downs. Just long wet grass and mud to contend with.
    We planned lunch in Saint Romaine La Motte, all was closed bar a pizza takeout- so yes we shared a pizza, they also threw a free coffee in 👍
    We arrived in Saint Haon le Chatel feeling worn out and ready for a rest. We are in a room in a French families home. The town is quaint and medieval in character. We have a rest day planned tomorrow so will explore the town further then. So next update will be on Friday when we’re on the move again. 125 km walked so far 👣👣👣    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    Día 12–13

    Day 11/12 - St Haon le Chatel to Saint J

    3 de mayo, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Before we get started just a little matter about socks - too many socks garrotte your ankles - our good friend Nick in Japan has caught onto this from personal experience! And he’s now launching himself into this very important project, sitting at his designing desk as we speak mulling the problem 🙌🧦🤞.
    We enjoyed a relaxing day yesterday around St Haon le Chatel and its neighbouring town Renaisance. Having gone through the now familiar experience of being watched and scrutinised through a 3 course dinner, attempting pigeon French on the first evening, we took ourselves out to eat and had a boozy lunch. We went shopping in Carrefour for anyone of Walmley background. Thought better of going to the Caberet due to the expense!!
    Simon managed to get key stuck in lock once back and Valerie the host suddenly loomed out of nowhere and also spent 10 mins huffing and puffing over said key, whilst flooring Simon with her rapid French 😂 fortunately I had escaped to the loo!!
    Today has been a beautiful sunny day - until I tried hanging laundry out 🙄
    And a long but pleasant walk through hills, meadows, quaint towns, acres of vineyards and plenty of the usual wildlife. As ever most things shut - apart from the hair dressers- these must be key to French life!! Ended up getting a coffee in the post office- and used their loo!
    Arrived at our destination after a 6 hour walk in blistering Sun 🌞
    Now waiting for the 7.00 opening time of local restaurant for a rejuvenating meal and a glass of local plonk 🍷    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    1
    11
    Día 13–14

    Day 13 - Saint Jean Saint Maurice to Pom

    4 de mayo, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Today is Simon’s birthday and the Plodicus is very tired - he is plodded out.
    We had a leisurely start to the day as the cafe we were planning for breakfast didn’t open til 10! We headed up there at 10 to find they would only serve coffee and hot drinks 😳. All other restaurants were shut 😭 so we headed off on our longest walk yet on empty stomachs. 6 Km on we came to the village of Bully - this to our relief had a campsite with an open cafe 🙌. So we were able to feast on a cheese baguette 🥖 and hot drinks. This set us up for the remaining 14 kms.
    We were doing quite well up until the last 4km when Mary wanted a sit down and Simon decided to bolt for home! Result Mary’s tired feet made her a little ratty. 😂
    We have a lovely apartment overlooking the ancient priory.
    Simon keeps getting worrying flashbacks to his surprise party last year 😆 but feels safely far enough away for no repetition!!
    We are booked into a local restaurant for hopefully a nice birthday meal 🤞    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    Día 14–15

    Day 14 - Pommiers en Forez to Montverdun

    5 de mayo, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We had a lovely meal at the local restaurant and they all sang happy birthday to Simon in French!
    The restaurant also agreed to provide breakfast for us this morning 🙌
    We had a long walk of 21+km so set off in bright sunshine. We passed fields of poppies and cornflowers as we were in arable land. So fields of barley, wheat and corn bordered our path.
    So 19km trundled along ok, I was grumbling a little about aching feet. We passed a tranquil river and I said I’d love to dip my feet in and cool them off - I learned one has to be careful what one wishes for 😳
    We were homing in on the finish feeling well pleased - when we ended up in the swamp lands, the river had burst it banks and was now flowing along the path. So the last km or so we were ankle deep in running water, and hacking through giant nettles and scrubland.
    Then we walked up a hill to the Mountverdon Priory, our destination for the night, in a thunderstorm only to find it locked up. I had to ring the emergency number and attempt to explain our dilemma in my rubbish pigeon French.
    So a man came to save us and now we are the sole dwellers in the medieval priory on the hill. They have left our dinner in the fridge in the big kitchen and locked us in for the night.
    The man is coming at 8 in the morning to release us and take us for breakfast at the bakery in town - we hope??!!
    Now it’s just us and the spirits of the ancient monks…    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    Día 15–16

    Day 15 - Montverden to Montbrison

    6 de mayo, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We slept well in our spooky Priory. We were let out at 8 as planned 🙌
    We had dried everything out. However today it rained a lot. We marched down the hill to the Boulangerie that provided us with breakfast then set off on the path to Montbrison.
    We coped well with the muddy wood path but then we hit the bog path and feet got saturated again 😭.
    We trudged through the rain as the moody cows looked on. The path takes you on crazy tours of villages and we are sure just for the sake of it!!
    We couldn’t sit to rest and have lunch as nothing open on a Monday so had our saved croissants on the hop.
    We have been togged up in our Batman capes all day trudging along like medieval monks. Simon refused to wear his as we came into Montbrison - he still has his standards.
    We had to wait for 3 hours for Airbnb to send us the key code for our apartment in a cafe as Simon makes us walk so fast 😂
    We are staying in an apartment above the local theatre. We have shopped, laundered, cooked dinner and now having a bottle of red to chill before retiring to our anti bug bed pods as this place doesn’t provide linens!
    Tomorrow we move to second stage of our walk in Le Puy de Velay.
    Very few pics of the day due to weather!!
    210km completed 👣👣👏    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    Día 16–18

    Day 16/17 - Montbrison to Le Puy en Vela

    7 de mayo, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Up early on Tuesday morning we had breakfast out and Simon found a bookshop with an English section so treated himself. We collected bags and parcelled up stuff to send back to England.
    Due to our 90 day, limit courtesy of Brexit , we have to do a few train jumps to enable us to complete our odyssey! So today we had a train trip via St Etienne of football fame to Le Puy en Velay.
    We passed a post office on way to station and attempted to post the parcel. They put me on a French computer system to do this. It was so complicated we ran out of time and had to run off for our train.
    Monbrison station was overgrown with weeds and very quiet - a bit like Duddeston for Brummy readers! We eventually got a guards attention who said ‘oh no train- it is a bus out the front!’
    So we got a bus to St Etienne. The lady bus driver was very grumpy but it was pouring down.
    At St Etienne we disgusted ourselves and had a McDonald’s 😂
    We actually got a train on this leg of the journey and had scenic views of the River Loire most of the way.
    Le Puy en Velay is a bustling, groovy vibe and is full of jaunty pilgrims with all their gear. Lots of narrow, cobbled streets with tall shuttered dwellings lining each side.
    We found a nearby launderette so no handwashing today 🙌🙌
    Mary was determined to get up for the 7.00am pilgrims Mass at the Cathedral. Simon joined me at the last minute. There must have been at least 500 attendees- quite amazing.
    At the end of the service the middle aisle opens up and we are sent on our way with a blessing and a Camino medal through the floor and out to The Way!
    We came back to our bijoux apartment as Simon had his head fixed on a good fry up - too many croissants- and managed to set off smoke alarm in his efforts- it was a race to throw the window open and get the alarm off so we didn’t upset the neighbours.
    Today we have explored the delights of Le Puy as we set off walking tomorrow. It is Remembrance Day here for the end of World War 2 so found ourselves in the middle of the parade. And guess what it’s a bank holiday because of it, as is tomorrow as it is the feast of the Ascension.
    Fortunately, as we are in quite a tourist place, restaurants and supermarkets still open - phew!
    Now we are chilling out having boiled the rest of the eggs for lunch - obviously the day of eggs. We set off early tomorrow 👣👣👣    Leer más

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  • ViajeroWalking the Camino
    Día 18–19

    Day 18 - Le Puy en Velay to St Privat D’

    9 de mayo, Francia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We had a calm, relaxed evening and early night. Up early for today’s adventure. Spotted ourselves in the service yesterday on Facebook page 😂
    Spotted an early hot air balloon over Le Puy. Packed up and headed off for breakfast as a long walk ahead. Lovely sunny day for a change. A very kind waiter at breakfast offered to take us a section of the walk to give us a head start on today’s multitudes of pilgrims 🙌. You don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. So our 23km walk reduced to 16km.
    Stunning scenery, challenging climbs, views of walking terrain for next week 😳. We stopped for lunch on a couple of boulders - as you do!
    Now in St Privat D’Allier waiting for our gite to open. A very cute village in the hillside.
    All is open - even though it’s a bank holiday!
    Busy with pilgrims from around the world. Even one family walking with their donkey.
    Planning a beer later after check in and showers.    Leer más

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